After winning awards at Cannes and raves at TIFF, here is your first look at Joachim Trier‘s THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD.
Synopsis:
The Worst Person in The World is a modern dramedy about the quest for love and meaning in contemporary Oslo. It chronicles four years in the life of Julie (Renate Reinsve), a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.
MK2 | MILE END release THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, coming soon.
(Photo/video credit: Neon/MK2 | MILE END)
The 2021 Toronto International Film Festival concludes today and Award winners were announced from this year’s Festival, which still thrived in a hybrid digital and in-person format amidst the Pandemic. Taking top honours of People’s Choice was BELFAST, directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh, in-attendance at the Festival last weekend. Traditionally this title has gone on to achieve Oscars and Awards Season success, case in point, last year’s winner NOMADLAND.
In accepting the Award, Branagh says “It was absolutely overwhelming to myself and Jamie Dornan and we talked about it over a long into a memorable night of laughter and tears in your great city!”.
Winners this year as as follows:
| TIFF 2021 People’s Choice Award – Belfast, dir. Kenneth Branagh. The first runner-up is Scarborough, dirs. Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson. The second runner-up is The Power of the Dog, dir. Jane Campion. |
| 2021 Platform Prize – Yuni, dir. Kamila Andini Honourable mention: Mlungu Wam (Good Madam), dir. Jenna Cato Bass. |
| TIFF 2021 People’s Choice Documentary Award – The Rescue, dirs. E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. The first runner-up is Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over, dirs. Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner. The second runner-up is Flee, dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen. |
| TIFF 2021 People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award – Titane, dir. Julia Ducournau. The first runner-up is You Are Not My Mother, dir. Kate Dolan. The second runner-up is DASHCAM, dir. Rob Savage. |
| 2021 Changemaker Award, presented by the Shawn Mendes Foundation, is awarded to a Festival film that tackles issues of social change, and comes with a $10,000 cash prize – Scarborough, dirs. Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson. |
| Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film: Ste. Anne, dir. Rhayne Vermette Special Mention: Scarborough, dirs. Shasha Nakhai, Rich Williamson Amplify Voices Award: The Gravedigger’s Wife, dir. Khadar Ayderus Ahmed Amplify Voices Award: A Night of Knowing Nothing, dir. Payal Kapadia |
| IMDbPro Short Cuts Award for Best Film: Displaced, dir. Samir Karahoda Honourable Mention: Trumpets in the Sky, dir. Rakan Mayasi |
| IMDbPro Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Film: Angakusajaujuq – The Shaman’s Apprentice, dir. Zacharias Kunuk Honourable Mention: Nuisance Bear, dirs. Jack Weisman, Gabriela Osio Vanden |
| IMDbPro Short Cuts Share Her Journey Award: ASTEL, dir. Ramata-Toulaye Sy |
As announced previously, the winners at this year’s TIFF TRIBUTE GALA, which aired last night, were:
Review by George Kozera
Set in China in the ’70s, ONE SECOND tells the tale of a labour camp escapee (Zhang Yi) that is desperate to see a newsreel which contains footage of his estranged daughter. When he arrived too late at the theatre screening, he is told it will be shown again the next day at a nearby village. When he sees a scruffy young girl (Liu Haocun) steal one of the reels, he manages to retrieve it and treks across the desert to deliver it to the next theatrical engagement.
ONE SECOND is laced with gentle humour, stunning desert vistas and a Cast of intriguing characters. The Maoist propaganda is fascinating to watch and the bond between the fugitive and the thief nicely morphs into a dyslexic father/daughter relationship. When you throw in the character of the projectionist known as Mr. Movie (Fan Wei), events on the screen turn lively.
ONE SECOND may have problems finding a North American audience used to bigger. The pace is languid and borderline melodramatic. But the Movie is pure and honest and commendable.
It screens:
Sat, Sep 18 IN-PERSON Roy Thomson Hall 4:30 PM
Sat, Sep 18 IN-PERSON Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre 6 PM
Sat, Sep 18 DIGITAL PREMIERE SCREENING digital TIFF Bell Lightbox 7 PM
We don’t believe we made it through another TIFF! While this year’s Festival certainly was a bit more scaled-back we definitely were not short of things to do, equally putting in long days. So thankful to the Team for contributing their Reviews of the most key titles to surface at TIFF ’21 including Dave Baldwin, Amanda Gilmore and George Kozera. So thankful to be a Torontonian and be gifted every year with this amazing Festival. We’re so appreciative of the considerations for our safety and the fact that we were able to enjoy the Festival both in-person and at-home. We will never take for granted this flexibility.
Once again we must thank some of our official partners in our coverage of the Festival this year! We couldn’t have done it without their generosity and support and we’re always thrilled to get our Readers and Followers excited about their amazing products and services.
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The lucky winner of our TIFF ’21 Survival Pack Giveaway was Jessica (@SheBakesHere), who won an amazing haul of products from our official partners!
As the winner, Jessica received:
•1 $50 Starbucks Canada Gift Card
•1 $50 Chatime gift card + 1x T-shirt +1x Tumbler + 1x Stainless Steel Straw set
•1 $50 Gift Card at Lone Star Texas Grill
•1 $50 Gift Card at Frankie’s Nashville Hot Chicken
•1 Happy Gift Set including 1 Rose Quartz Roller + Gua Sha set, 1 Happy Face Mask, 1 bottle 250ml Happy Sanitizer and a Happy 3-Toothbrush set
•1 The Beauty of Eczema’s Bathing Oil and Bath Salts At-Home Spa Set
•1 Antipodes Manuka Honey Skin-Brightening Beehive Box
•1 boscia Skin Nutrition Body Collection
•1 bottle of Nature’s Sunshine new Hair, Skin & Nails capsules and BioGuard Hand and Body Cream
•1 H&M Canada VIP Card
•1 Official MR. WILL WONG Baseball Cap
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Team Mr. Will also share their favourites of the Festival and also their predictions which Film will win that coveted People’s Choice Award!
AMANDA GILMORE (Twitter: @GilmoreAmanda)
Belfast
Titane
The Worst Person in the World
Petite Maman
Spencer
Would Also Highly Recommend: The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Power of the Dog, Dune & The Humans
People’s Choice Award Prediction: Belfast
DAVID BALDWIN (Twitter: @DaveMABaldwin)
People’s Choice Award Prediction: Belfast
TIFF’21 was a substantial upgrade from TIFF’20. Full Stop. The quality of films was substantially stronger, the in-person and digital offerings were better, and the all-around experience was so much closer to the TIFF we all know and love from those simpler, pre-pandemic times. There are some learnings the programming team will need to reflect on for next year’s festival, but I sincerely hope they continue with the hybrid experience despite some of the hiccups they encountered this year. It allows for an easier and more efficient means of discovery for everyone, and lets audiences still feel like they are part of the action even if they are watching from home. I had a blast watching so many movies this year, and am already looking forward to endlessly re-watching many of them. Yet I know in my bones that I would not have been able to see nearly as many had it only been an in-person festival. And while I am bummed to have missed out on Last Night in Soho and Spencer, I am overjoyed at everything I did get to see — including some of the more forgettable titles. Next year will no doubt look different again, but here’s hoping it will still feel like TIFF because where else can you go from watching a hit Broadway musical adaptation like Dear Evan Hansen to an Oscar-prestige play like The Power of the Dog to the absolute madness of the Palme d’Or winning Titane?
GEORGE KOZERA (Twitter: @PartyG)
People’s Choice Award Prediction: Belfast
JUSTIN WALDMAN (Twitter: @DubsReviews)
Titane
Belfast
Petite Maman
Encounter
Violet
People’s Choice Prediction: Belfast
MR. WILL (Twitter: @mrwillw)
People’s Choice Award Prediction: Spencer
We’re still mesmerized by Kristen Stewart’s work in Spencer, which almost is side-by-side as our favourite with Jessica Chastain‘s mind-blowing portrayal of Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye! We still are obsessed with Last Night in Soho and can’t wait to see it again in October! We missed The Power of the Dog but are thankful it will be available soon on Netflix! So excited to see some of these titles propel into Awards Season success.
#TIFF21: Can we talk about #Spencer for a second? #KristenStewart pic.twitter.com/HnsQqLL4lS
— MR. WILL WONG 📸 (@mrwillw) September 10, 2021
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Last but not least, some of our favourite moments with the talent at the Festival:
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Until next TIFF!
We hope you had a blast following our adventures and Reviews. In case you missed them, you always can catch-up right here.
Do not forget to check-out the TIFF TRIBUTE GALA AWARDS, airing Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 7PM ET on CTV and the CTV App!
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Review by David Baldwin
In the present day, Anne Frank’s diary is housed within a glass display in her home in Amsterdam. As the crowd queues up around the block to see all of the artifacts on display, the glass suddenly breaks and Kitty (Ruby Stokes), the fictional friend Anne wrote her diary entries to, is conjured into reality. She is invisible and confused – why is she there and Anne is not? Whom are all these people walking through the house? As Kitty begins to read the diary and discover more about Anne’s story, she begins to understand what happened and how not much has changed since the Holocaust.
WHERE IS ANNE FRANK is one of the most bold and ambitious films at this year’s festival. It takes a book so many of us have read and know all too well, and examines it from an entirely different point of view. On top of that, the Film merges multiple forms and styles of animation to tell its story, often in imaginative and exciting ways. Great care was taken by Writer/Director Ari Folman (an Oscar nominee for the astonishing Waltz with Bashir) to make the Film feel like as much of an adventurous journey of discovery as it does a gut-wrenching portrayal of one of the darkest times in human history. He pulls no punches here with his ghastly depictions of the Nazi regime, as well as the on-going refugee crisis in the modern times. It is painful and heartbreaking to watch, but also feels completely necessary.
Where Folman stumbles is in the tone of the piece. It is a little too light hearted for adults and a little too mature for children. The Film is a depiction of recorded history, and I am not sure the younger audience will be in tune with the profound and damning comparisons Folman is making. And by making the lead character be Kitty, who has the mind of a naïve young girl, he risks alienating the older audience who know the story already (and will likely need to better explain to their children after the credits roll). It is a delicate balancing act that Folman is successful in managing in some areas, whereas others are a total mess. I kept watching and felt like I was getting lost in the narrative he put together. I feel like WHERE IS ANNE FRANK could have been better finessed in some areas and clearer as to who the intended audience was. This is an important, must-see film for all ages, and it deserved to be a much stronger film.
WHERE IS ANNE FRANK screens at TIFF ’21:
Tue, Sep 14 Princess of Wales 6:00 PM
Wed, Sep 15 digital TIFF Bell Lightbox 1:00 PM
Sat, Sep 18 digital TIFF Bell Lightbox 1:00 PM
Review by David Baldwin
Alma (Maren Eggert) is a scientist longing for a relationship yet is too busy with cuneiform studies to form a bond with anyone new. With funding for a huge project hanging in the balance, Alma signs up for a three-week trial with Tom (Dan Stevens), a Humanoid Cyborg designed and determined to make her happy.
I have been unable to shake I’M YOUR MAN days after watching it. It creeps up on you almost immediately and stays with you long after its haunting finale. Co-Writer/Director Maria Schrader subverts any expectations you might have with this high concept romantic Science-Fiction Dramedy, all while delivering an emotionally stirring message about what it means to be human and what it means to be in love. That may sound like a few too many ideas to balance, yet Schrader’s guiding hand makes it look easy. While it could have used some tightening up editing wise, the world building here is subtle and remarkable, depicting a future that seems attainable. The Script is witty and sweet, and the CGI is minimal and used sparingly. Even the deeper, darker moments of this tale have a lovely charm to them.
All of this would mean nothing without the Cast however, who are game for everything Schrader throws at them. Sandra Hüller (who you will recognize from the Oscar-nominated Toni Erdmann) has a delightful bit part as a Scientist/Therapist keeping track of Tom’s progress in the field, while Hans Löw turns in memorable work as Alma’s ex Julian. They are barely noticeable whenever Eggert and Stevens are together though – their simmering chemistry is the beating heart of I’M YOUR MAN, with the sparks flying immediately and never letting up. Eggert spends much of the Movie skeptical and narrow-minded, completely unconvinced of Tom’s act and trying her very best to stay straight laced. She does a great job of it, and is so very funny and natural in the role. Stevens is even better, delivering his most incredible and accomplished work to date. His robotic movements are precise, and his fluent German dialogue is crisp and flawless (cannot do much about hiding that debonair English accent though). He is having a blast here, reworking and reimagining the archetype he has gotten so good at embodying. Together or apart, Eggert and Stevens create one of the best on-screen couples of the year and one of the most welcome surprises of the festival. Keep this one on your radar.
I’M YOUR MAN screens at TIFF ’21:
Mon, Sep 13 Scotiabank Theatre 7:30 PM
Tue, Sep 14 digital TIFF Bell Lightbox 5:00 PM
Tue, Sep 14 RBC Lakeside Drive-In at Ontario Place 9:00 PM
Sat, Sep 18 digital TIFF Bell Lightbox 3:00 PM
While TIFF ’21 wraps this coming Sunday, today will be our final day our and about. And what an awesome way to cap things off! We saw the amazing Steven Soderbergh arrive at Princess of Wales Theatre. While it remained a mystery what Film exactly he’d be screening at the Festival, we can confirm that the Film that screened tonight was called MR. KNEFF, a Silent Film with only music and background noises. The Film is subtitled and 15 years ago he had a second go at it, though the Film still is incomplete. The Film originally was titled KAFKA starring Jeremy Irons, though all dialogue has been removed and some hues were adjusted. The Film was made originally about 30 years ago.
Soderbergh arrived together with Cameron and his wife Carolynne at the screening, and they waited as he signed an endless line of autographs, doing Selfies as well. He finally arrived at our side joking that we were waiting on the wrong side of the barricade. A true Class Act. And an epic way to cap-off a great Festival! So many of our faves were made under his meticulous vision and crafty storytelling: Ocean’s Eleven, Traffic, Erin Brokovitch, Behind the Candelabra, Magic Mike (lol!)….
Earlier, Lily-Rose Depp arrived at Princess of Wales Theatre for her second Film at the Festival, WOLF in which she co-stars alongside rising star George MacKay. The Film is about a boy who believes he’s a wolf and is set in a clinic which treats the condition. Depp arrived in Toronto fresh-off the Met Gala which took place earlier this week in New York City. Once again, she wore pink Chanel as she did to her Premiere last night at Roy Thomson Hall for SILENT NIGHT. Director/Writer Nathalie Biancheri also was in attendance.
Do not forget to check-out the TIFF TRIBUTE GALA AWARDS, airing Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 7PM ET on CTV and the CTV App!
… and that’s a wrap! We appreciate so much your following our adventures and Reviews this TIFF once again. While we’re a bit exhausted, next week we’ll be counting down the days to TIFF ’22!
Tomorrow we’ll be sharing our Highlights, Best-Ofs and Predictions for the People’s Choice Award!
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
By Amanda Gilmore
We’ve seen many Films about Christmas, but none quite like this. It’s Christmas Day and also the last living night for humans on Earth. The Government and Scientists have proclaimed that poison will sweep across the world, wiping out humanity. A group of upper-class friends decide to spend their last Christmas and night together at a cosy house in the English Countryside. They are part of the fortunate who get to choose between taking a Government-approved ‘exit’ pill or letting the poison take them.
Silent Night takes on the challenge of the Dramedy. Feature-Debut Writer-Director Camille Griffin successfully navigates these tonal changes with control and ease. Her Script is laced with deep themes on climate change and wealth. Typically with apocalyptic-type films, it’s zombies or aliens who are to blame for the end of the world. However, Griffin blames the more likely culprit, climate change. In a powerful scene set around the dinner table, Art (Roman Griffin Davis) informs the guests that this is happening because the Earth is sick of consuming the garbage we have given it. The theme of wealth is highlighted in regards to the ‘exit’ pill. In one scene, Simon (Matthew Goode) informs his son, Art, how they’re lucky to be given the pill as others weren’t.
Additionally, it’s through wealth that we get these comedic, self-absorbed yet lovable characters. Griffin has assembled a strong cast consisting of Keira Knightley, Goode, Griffin Davis, Annabelle Wallis, Lily-Rose Depp, Sope Dirisu, Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Lucy Punch. Each is perfectly cast for their respected characters but Wallis and Griffin Davis are standouts.
Wallis is hilarious as self-centred Sandra. She believes everyone is in love with her yet yearns for the love of her only daughter. She truly knocks it out of the park. Then there is young Griffin Davis, who you’ll remember from Jojo Rabbit. Here he plays a cheeky, intelligent boy who is frightened to be facing his death. Both Knightley and Goode give touching performances as parents spending their last night with their children.
Overall, Silent Night is a delightful British Dramedy that turns the traditional Christmas Film on its head.
Silent Night screens at TIFF ’21:
Thu, Sep 16 at 7 PM at Roy Thompson Hall
Fri, Sep 17 at 5 PM on Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox
Sat, Sep 18 at 7 PM on Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox
By Mr. Will Wong
Screen legend Sigourney Weaver returns in THE GOOD HOUSE from Co-Directors Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky. The Film is a portrait of a successful Real Estate Agent Hildy (Weaver), who is a high-functioning Alcoholic. She reunites with a former love interest in Frank (Kevin Kline), but must confront her own destructive behaviours, despite maintaining a well-kept presence to others in her affluent neighbourhood.
Weaver does a superb job embodying Hildy. She is a mother paying her adult children’s bills, coping with the fact that business is a bit tougher than it used to be, finding herself involved in others’ personal problems, all while a rekindled romance looms between her regal self and garbage man in Frank. She speaks to us from the Fourth Wall where we witness her most genuine self and when she blacks-out from her drinking binges we are just confused what she missed.
If anything, THE GOOD HOUSE is an intimate glimpse how insecurities and troubles exist even among the wealthy. While they can be rich in ways, they can be poor in others and even at Hildy‘s stage in life and despite all her success, there still is room for another chance at growth and self-discovery.
THE GOOD HOUSE screens at TIFF ’21:
Wed, Sep 15 IN-PERSON Roy Thomson Hall Premium 7:00pm
Thu, Sep 16 DIGITAL PREMIERE SCREENING digital TIFF Bell Lightbox Premium Availability: Canada 7:00pm
Sat, Sep 18IN-PERSONTIFF Bell Lightbox11:00am
Sat, Sep 18 DIGITAL SECOND SCREENING digital TIFF Bell Lightbox
PremiumAvailability: Canada 5:00pm
By Amanda Gilmore
Writer-Director Stephen Karam exquisitely adapts his Tony-winning Play for the big screen.
The Film follows the Blake family over one eventful Thanksgiving. Brigid (Beanie Feldstein) and her boyfriend Richard (Steven Yeun) host the holiday event at their new rundown duplex in downtown Manhattan. They are joined by Brigid’s parents Erik (Richard Jenkins) and Deirdre (Jayne Houdyshell), dementia-afflicted grandmother, Momo (June Squibb), and lawyer big sister Aimee (Amy Schumer). Throughout the holiday, the family make niceties that soon turn to cruel jokes, past grievances are revived and secrets unfold.
The Humans is rich in character study and a meditation on existential dread, told during a holiday that is rarely explored in Film — particularly in this way. Karam places the camera in unique angles and closes up on rundown things, such as water damage. This, along with a supernatural aspect where sounds are heard, a ball drops from above and lights break at an alarming rate, give an eerie feeling that something isn’t quite right about this particular Thanksgiving.
This Story is anchored in the textured characters all experiencing their individual dread. Jenkins gives a momentous performance that’s both expressive and contained. Going between moments of mentioning how close his daughter lives to where 9/11 happened and how their home will be wiped out in the next Hurricane Katrina, and moments of staring off into the distance like he can see the distressing future ahead.
Yeun shines in showing the need Richard feels to get his girlfriend’s family to like him. Feldstein is wonderful as the ever positive yet secretly cruel Brigid. Her natural charm aides in making audiences still like Brigid in her crueller moments. Schumer does outstanding work as career-driven Aimee who is going through a breakup. A powerful moment comes when Aimee calls her ex-girlfriend in a quiet area of the apartment complex.
However, the real knockout of the Cast is delivered by Houdyshell, who is the only member reprising her role from the play. She gives a tour-de-force performance as the matriarch. Karam’s Script is loaded with the intimacy families have. They know each other best, meaning they know how to console and how to obliterate each other. This is truly examined through Deirdre and Houdyshell excels at showing the anguish and gratification her family give her.
Overall, The Humans is a powerful film about the human condition and is perfectly cast.
The Humans screens at TIFF ’21:
Sun, Sep 12 at 1:30 PM at Princess of Wales
Sun, Sep 12 at 7 PM on Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox
Sat, Sep 18 at 1 PM on Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox
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